Sunday, May 22, 2016

KUMBHALGARH FORT & RANAKPUR JAIN TEMPLE - INDIA

KUMBHALGARH FORT

Kumbhalgarh Fort is the
second most important fort of Rajasthan after Chittorgarh. Located at a
distance of 64 kms from Udaipur in Rajasmand district, Kumbhalgarh Fort
is easily accessible from the city of Udaipur. This unconquerable fortress
is secured under the kind protection of the Aravali ranges. Kumbhalgarh
Fort was built by Maharana Rana Kumbha in the 15th century. The fort derived
its name from the same factor.

Encircled by thirteen
elevated mountain peaks, the fort is constructed on the top most ridges
around 1,914 meters above sea level. The fortifications of the fort extend
to the length of 36 kilometers and this fact has made this fort to be in
the international records. It is stated to be the second longest wall in
the world, the first being ''the Great Wall of China''. The huge complex
of the Fort has numerous palaces, temples and gardens making it more magnificent.On your way to Kumbhalgarh
fort, a few kilometers before, you will find yourself on a zigzag road
going through deep ravines and thick forests. This way would take you to
the Arait Pol, where you can trace the watch-tower and then Hulla Pol,
Hanuman Pol, Ram Pol, Bhairava Pol, Paghra Pol, Top-khana Pol and Nimboo
Pol will come across your track.The impregnable Fort boasts
of seven massive gates, seven ramparts folded with one another with designed
walls toughened by curved bastions and huge watch towers. The strong structure
and solid foundation of the Fort made it unbeatable till date. The hefty
walls of the fort are broad enough to stand eight horses side by side.
There are not less than 360 temples inside the complex of the Fort. Amongst
all of them, Shiva Temple is worth visiting that comprises a huge Shivalinga
(Phallic form).

The Fort is also known
for its famous palace that resides on the top of structure. This beautiful
palace is known as 'Badal Mahal' or the Palace of Cloud. It is also accredited
to be the birth place of great warrior Maharana Pratap. This palace has
beautiful rooms with lovely color combination of green, turquoise and white
presenting a bright contrast to the earthy colors of the Fort. This place
gives the appearance of being wandering in the world of clouds. Cloud Palace
also offers a fantastic panoramic vista of the down town.In the late 19th century,
Rana Fateh Singh once again took the initiative to rebuild this remarkable
palace. In the times of dissension, the fort also offered refuge to the
rulers of Mewar. Even, the baby king Udai Singh was kept here safe during
the time of battles. The large complex of the Fort offers ancient remnants
to explore and one can spend a pleasurable evening while strolling through
the ravines of Kumbhalgarh Fort.

HISTORY OF KUMBHALGARH

Under the rule of the
king Rana Kumbha, the kingdom of Mewar stretched right from Ranthambore
to Gwalior. The kingdom also included vast tracts of Madhya Pradesh as
well as Rajasthan. About 84 fortresses have been defending Mewar from its
enemies. Out of the 84, Rana Kumbha, himself, has designed about 32 of
them. Of all the fortresses, which have been designed by Rana Kumbha, Kumbhalgarh
has been the most impressive, famous and the massive one with a wall of
the length 36Km. The fort lies at about 90Kms away from Udaipur towards
its Northwest. It is situated at about 1914m above the sea level and is
the most important fort after Chittorgarh.The site where Kumbhalgarh
stands once was a bastion, which belonged to the Jain descendent of Mauryan
emperors of India during the second century AD. It also separated Mewar
and Marwar from each other and was also use as a place of refuge for the
rulers of Mewar at times of danger, especially Prince Udai, the baby king
of Mewar. It was only once in the entire history that Kumbhalgarh was taken
or it could not defend or breach its defense when the combined armies of
Emperor Akbar, Raja Udai Singh of Amber along with the armies of Raja Man
Singh of Amber and Raja Udai Singh of Marwar attacked the fort of Kumbhalgarh.
That too happened because of the scarcity of drinking water.Kumbhalgarh is the same
place where prince Udai was smuggled to in 1535. This happened when Chittaur
was under siege. Prince Udai who later became the successor to the throne
also became the founder of the Udaipur City. The renowned Maharana Pratap,
who fought against the army lead by Akbar in the battle of Haldighati in
the year 1576, was also born at Kumbhalgarh.Rana Kumbha who found
the fort of Kumbhalgarh got it constructed in the 15th Century. Kumbhalgarh
Fort was one of the very few forts in history, which never got conquered.
One of the most important reasons stated for it is the aggressive or the
hostile landscape of the fort. A thick wall that is 36Kms long surrounds
this remarkable fort. The perimeter of the wall is assumed to be the longest
after the Great Wall Of China. The wall stretches across the Aravali Mountains.
The fort is about 1100m high from the sea level and offers a marvelous
view of the surrounding area. The main attractions of the fort consist
of mesmerizing palaces along with about 360 different types of temples
inside it with 300 being the Jain temples and the remaining being the Hindu
temples.13 mountain peaks surround
the fort of Kumbhalgarh, 7 huge gates guard the fort and immense watchtowers
further strengthen it. The Badal Mahal Palace is right at the top of the
fort. The palace has beautiful rooms and is painted in the colours of green,
white and turquoise, thus providing an interesting contrast to the raw
and grim fortress. Kumbhalgarh is also the place where the great warrior
of Mewar, the legendary Maharana Pratap was born.The Mewar Fortress in
the Rajsamand district of Rajasthan was renovated and enlarged again by
Maharana Fateh Singh in the 19th Century. Now it is accessible to the public
and tourists as a museum. The fort is easily accessible and is just about
60Kms away from the city of Udaipur.It is also said that the
Maharana of Kumbhalgarh failed to build the fort's wall for several times.
Then later after they consulted a pilgrim about this problem, he advised
that them to behead him and to build up a temple wherever his head fell.
He also asked them to build the wall where his body laid. Following his
advice the wall, which is the second largest wall in the world, was built.Kumbhalgarh - Location
Its location had always
been Kumbhalgarh's greatest advantage. Because it was virtually inaccessible
in the 15th century, Rana Kumbha of Mewar built this great defensive fortress
on a 3,500 feet (1,100 meters) high hill overlooking the approaches from
Ajmer and Marwar. Today, precisely because it is within easy reach of Udaipur,
Jodhpur, Ajmer, and Pushkar-yet off the well trodden tourist routes-Kumbhalgarh
is an attractive destination.

http://www.liveindia.com/kumbhalgarh-fort/history.html

JAIN TEMPLE

The renowned Jain temple at Ranakpur is dedicated to Tirthankara Adinatha.

Local
legend has it that Dharma Shah, a local Jain businessperson, started
construction of the temple in the 15th century following a divine
vision. The temple honors Adinath, the first Tirthankar and founder of
the Jain religion. The town of Ranakpur and the temple are named after
the provincial ruler monarch, Rana Kumbha who supported the construction
of the temple.

The construction is well documented in a 1437 CE
copper-plate record,inscriptions in the temple and a Sanskrit text
Soma-Saubhagya Kavya. Inspired by a dream of a celestial vehicle, Dhanna
Shah, from Ghanerao a Porwal, commenced its construction, under the
patronage of Rana Kumbha, then ruler of Mewar. The architect who oversaw
the project was named Deepaka. There is an inscription on a pillar near
the main shrine stating that in 1439 Deepaka, an architect, constructed
the temple at the direction of Dharanka, a devoted Jain. When the
ground floor was completed, Acharya Soma Sundar Suri of Tapa Gachha
supervised the ceremonies, which are described in Soma-Saubhagya Kavya.
The construction continued until 1458AD.

The temple was renovated
time to time. Some famililies supported the construction of devakulikas
and mandaps. The descendants of Dharanashah now mainly live in
Ghanerao. The temple has been managed by the Anandji Kalyanji Pedhi
trust in the past century.